Rob Peter to pay yourself?

Fraud, embezzlement, and misuse of funds are some terms that the politically correct like to use. To others its stealing and theft.  One of the most important aspects of running a business or corporation is ethics.  From the CEO’s, CFO’s and other leadership positions to the lowest ranking employees and customers you serve people have been stealing for ages.

I believe that an honest corporation will draw the interest of honest employees.  With a more open and honest culture, management can create a more honest workplace.  Now I understand that sometimes no matter how hard a company tries some people will still take what’s not theirs.  With the integrity and trust of many corporations in question it’s no wonder so many people steal from companies.

Leading from the front is the first step in preventing a large loss for businesses.  With some corporations making an effort of supporting the claim of, “the customer is always right” many companies have to remain vigilant when exchanging checks, money, or merchandise.  Scammers have evolved into creative ways of getting away with stealing from businesses.  Although I enjoy not having a hassle when correcting an issue businesses must be aware of these scams and check for these fraudulent acts.

By separating a businesses account from an account used only for wire transfers a business can minimize the risk and hassle of being robbed via wire transfers.  The extra step of creating more accounts can be a pain in the neck, but minimizing the risk could potentially save the corporation not only peace of mind, but anywhere upwards of millions of dollars.  When starting or growing a business startup funds are essential.

A very common practice by scammers these days is phishing.  You could only imagine how many people are desperate for startup funds and are more than willing to exchange their information.  Once a phisher has their information they can gain access to that business’s accounts and open up other fraudulent accounts and company credit cards in that business’s name.  At the end of the day companies should be more cautious when giving out information regardless to how bad they want the funds.

If you’re looking to start a small business it appears it’s not a simple task, and there’s more involved than just simply coming up with a catchy name, selling some product or service, and getting money from the bank.  These scammers are pitfalls and must be paid close attention to.  Do you think that with all the scams going on in today’s world that small lenders trying to enter a market thrived on by scammers can be successful?  Should small businesses stick to the big name lenders to be on the “safe side?”  What percentage of businesses costs should be appropriated towards theft and fraud prevention?

 

http://business.time.com/2013/05/17/arresting-small-business-fraud/

Simonds, Lauren. “Arresting Small Business Fraud.” Business Money Arresting Small Business Fraud Comments. Time.com, 17 May 2013. Web. 17 May 2013.

Why the housing market may not be a “real” comeback.

Wow! So, the housing market appears to be back on track towards making a comeback from a historic downturn.  At the rise of the housing bubble the housing market saw homes selling at all time highs and construction of homes and subdivisions as well.  With the

The housing market crash was the worst America has seen in decades.

economic downturn Americans and countries around the world watch as the hope that the trend in a rise or increase in housing market sales and prices rise.  The hope is that this uprising trend is a sign of the end of the historically horrible economic time and a beginning of another housing “boom.”  Unfortunately this rise looks all too similar.  As we know history does repeat itself.

The problem with this theory is that the housing market seems to be led by investors.  Does this sound familiar? Yes, the same occupation of people that led the last housing bubble and eventually led us to this situation that we are in as we speak.  The investors bought up homes at low prices and rehabbed them and sold them at higher prices.  This “boom” caused thousands and even millions of people to ride the wave and in turn inflated prices unnaturally.  Many ethical questions come into play when remembering these choice tactics. Do you agree with any of the following causes or actions that contributed to the downturn in the housing market? The greed of builders and investors in a capitalist mind state, the greed of borrowers who borrowed funds that they knew they couldn’t afford, the greed of lenders giving funds that they knew would default on the loans.

In order to purchase homes consumers need a steady income.  You may have heard the craze about the home mortgage loans currently being at an all time low approximately 3-3.5% for a 30 year fixed loan, but the problem appears to be that many consumers don’t have the jobs or monthly income to obtain those low rates on the wanted loans.  As people buy more homes the demand will go up and the loan rates will rise as well, which will make it more difficult for people to afford to purchase homes.

The federal government budget cuts are personally affecting me, as well as thousands of other employees.  The government sequestration and military spending cuts takes finances out of many of those peoples and families household income.  Furlough days have been placed on many workers throughout the nation and I’m just not sure if taking income away from the consumer is the best way to urge the consumer to purchase more homes.  I would like to see the loans held at these low rates when the demand for homes eventually rise up again.

Sources Cited:

 

Christie, Les. “3 Reasons the Housing Market Recovery May Not Last.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/18/real_estate/housing-recovery/index.html?source=yahoo_hosted